Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 117740 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117740 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 589(@200wpm)___ 471(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
“Whoop-de-doo,” I replied, rolling my eyes. “Weren’t you leaving?”
“Fortunately, I am.” He rolled his shoulders and looked at Shaun. “Would you release her to me?”
Please, God, no.
Shaun turned to me and smiled.
“I am nowhere near calm enough to be let out of my cell,” I said quickly, lying down on the bed. “And what I said about this bed sucking? It was a bout of temporary insanity. This is the most comfortable bed I’ve ever laid down on. I should really stay here to think about my behaviour some more.”
“Rose May Matthews, I’m releasing you into the care of His Grace, the Duke of Hanbury.” Shaun’s shit eating grin stayed on his face as he unlocked the door. “Please make your way towards reception with His Grace to collect your belongings.”
I was going to kill him.
“I’m sorry, I think my legs have given out from the stress. I’m going to need a doctor,” I replied. “See? I’m wiggling my toes, but nothing is happening.”
“Don’t think I won’t come in there and haul you over my shoulder,” Oliver warned.
“I would love to see you try.”
He stepped into the cell and, before I knew it, hauled me into a sitting position and up into his arms.
Where he did exactly as he’d threatened.
“Oi!” I shouted as my wavy mess of hair flipped over my head and completely blocked my view. “Put me down!”
“You asked for this, princess,” was all he said in return.
“Shaun!”
“I’ll bring her things to your car,” that bastard said to Oliver.
“That’s it!” I said, thumping my fists against Oliver’s firm lower back. “You’re on my shit list, Shaun Patrick! Expect my revenge!”
Shaun laughed. “Yeah, yeah. I’ll let Isa know we’ve released you.”
“My revenge will be swift and painful. Fear me.” I let my arms hang loose and huffed.
“Yes, Rose,” Oliver drawled. “Very scary.”
15
* * *
ROSE
A Fine Predicament
“Are you going to get out of the car nicely, or do I have to haul you about like a sack of potatoes again?”
I glared at Oliver from my spot on the passenger seat. This was the first thing he’d said to me since he’d shoved me in here and told me to put on my seatbelt, and I was very displeased by this turn of events.
“Why are we at your McMansion?” I asked.
“It’s a four-hundred-year-old manor house, not a McMansion,” he replied. “And we’re here so I can keep an eye on you and make sure you don’t cause any more chaos than you already have.”
“Cause chaos? I’m going to need to hide in shame after how many people saw you carting me about over your shoulder.”
“While that works for me, I wouldn’t trust you as far as I can throw you.”
“Given that you can apparently pick me up and manhandle me with great ease, I’d imagine you can throw me pretty far.”
He paused, tilting his head to the side. “Would you like to find out?”
“Why don’t I throw you into the path of a lorry instead?” I grumbled.
Oliver smirked and held out his hand. “Come on. It’s not just to keep an eye on you. In fact, my mother called and demanded I be nice to you, so this is me being nice.”
“Lugging me around like a ragdoll and threatening to throw me is you being nice?”
“It depends if you’re into that sort of thing, I expect.” He leant in close to me, capturing my gaze with his. “And I already know that you don’t mind being tossed around a little bit, princess.”
If he called me that one more time today, I was going to shove a tree stake up his backside.
I glared at him. “In my biography, this will go down as the moment I showed incredible self-restraint.”
“You can jump me if you want, Rose. I can’t say I’d mind.”
“If I jump you, Oliver, it’s to punch you.”
He grinned and stepped back, still holding out his stupid hand. “Let’s go.”
I really didn’t have a choice, so I used his hand to hop out of the car and felt the crunch of gravel beneath my feet. “I can’t believe I’m here. I must have done something to piss off the big man upstairs to be punished like this.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. It’s for your own good.” He grabbed my things from the backseat. “Regrettably, I wasn’t able to retrieve your beautiful sign.”
I sighed, taking my bag from him. “What a shame. I spent so much time on that lovely portrait of you.”
“Is that why you tried to hit me with it?”
I shrugged. “One moment I was protesting peacefully, and the next, I was being chased by a madman. I had to use what items I had at my disposal to protect my honour.”
“Thankfully, you couldn’t hit a punching bag,” he muttered as the manor doors opened. “Do you know where Jennie is?”
Bruce blinked. “Welcome back, Your Grace. And… Rose?”